Thursday, January 5, 2012

Great new interview to kick the 2012 off right. Miss Al Boogie is the name. Remember it!

I first met al boogie at Halcyon, a thift store / record store / coffeehouse for the creative eclectic. It was in Brooklyn's Cobble Hill section and was home to many starting DJs and producers. It was officially home to Mixtape Sessions from 2000-2004. There, we invited many artists, producers, DJs, and poets, interviewed them, then recorded the interviews. In four years, Mixtape Sessions' host, Adam Cruz, conducted and archived dozens of interviews with many artists. From dance music pioneers to first time DJs and producers, Mixtape Sessions always provided an opportunity for us to learn about the members in our global dance community.

One of the main fixtures at Halcyon was miss al boogie. In this interview, Adam explains how he and al met, her creative ambitions then and what she's up to now, and most importantly, they discuss her fantastic debut EP, entitled "lo fi sci fi."

Her debut EP is available right now on the web. Check her out + follow her at:

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT MISS AL BOOGIE:
miss al boogie is a verb, not just a name. Called al boogie by some bboy friends in Breaks Kru, al originally just saw the name as a joke. But it stuck and she added the ‘miss’ to assert her femininity, mostly because of assumptions made on online music and dance forums. But the name is a true description of who miss al boogie is. A mover, a shaker, a go-getter. A dancer, a choreographer, a singer/songwriter. A teaching artist, an artivist, a mentor.

al can burst into song or dance with eruptive power. As a transplant to Brooklyn from South Florida, al fell quickly into the NYC dance club scene with her influence of Miami Bootyshake, Dancehall and Freestyle Hip Hop. The music & dance in these clubs, and the 80’s Pop, Rock, Punk, Hip Hop, R&B, Bootyshake and Freestyle music of her childhood, along with frequent musical pilgrimages to Detroit and London, would continue to inform her voice in music and dance.
Accidentally falling into Dance teaching artist work after getting laid off from the behind-the-scenes side of the music industry, al quickly flourished in these settings with her students. She continued to educate herself to become a better facilitator but also balanced her teaching artist life with her performance life, working as a dancer on stage, TV & Film.

She is considered one of the best female dancers in NYC by Bobbito Garcia and Oscar 1992.

“I love everything that’s inspired and influenced me from the past, but I don’t want to be retro. I want to pay homage to all of those styles, but put my voice, my imprint on them and bring them forward into the future,” she says.

al is continuing to work and balance her music, dance and teaching artist life and has already begun production on her next album. You can catch her live often in NYC.